Follies of a Fiber Fanatic
5 Comments Published by Fulay Little September 9th, 2007 in My Projects, New Stuff (Products).I have fallen in love with a new yarn, a rustic looking raw silk with a tiny bit of viscose (90-10% split), Ella Rae’s Shibu. 
I have been trying to find the right project for this lovely yarn, a pattern that would allow me to knit up something that would show its character and depth. I wanted something very feminine yet not too frou-frou.
And then I saw Tangled Yoke and thought, this is it! There was a small problem, the gauge was not quite right but I really did not want to use any other yarn, Shibu was it and I was going to make it work. This lovely raw silk was going to be my yarn for Tangled Yoke.
So, I swatched, swatched and swatched, with English Rose. 
Shibu calls for a needle size of US 7, so I kept dropping the needle size first to 6 then to 5 and then to some odd in-between sizes. Finally, I got my gauge. 
My swatched looked really nice too, raw, not wooly but still substantial and very Voguesque (can I say that?), with viscose shining through my stitches. 
Then I cast on, proud and happy, having made it work. I cast on 250+ stitches and knitted and knitted. Fighting the yarn, which was trying to tell me “I am not meant for this pattern.” I got into the pattern by at least 70 or so rows and I knew I was defeated. Shibu hated to be forced into a gauge that it was not meant to be and wanted a different pattern. So I admitted defeat and my folly and frogged.
I still love Shibu and I am looking for the right pattern for this stunning yarn. I still want to knit Tangled Yoke, a project just for me, and I am looking for the right yarn.
It is a beautiful day in Seattle, crisp, sunny and smells like Fall. I love Fall, my favorite season of all – makes me want to knit knit knit. I think it is the perfect day for a bowl of soup and some careful stash perusal.
Hope you are well and knitting with a smile.
I think that yarn would be beautiful in that pattern too. I’m sorry it didn’t work out.
My Ella Rae Classic yarn arrived today. Very happy with it! thanks very much Fulay. Laurence from Santa Monica
Hope you have better luck with your next choice of yarn. Probably really needs a DK weight yarn. I find silk can be quite heavy and difficult to knit and it feels like it’s fighting you.
Okay, I was wondering how that yarn was going to knit and feel when I saw it…contemplating a back or 2! I LOVE the look of it, perfect shawl for sure!
I wanted to order some of this yarn to do a shawl. Glad I read your comments as I’ve never worked with silk before. Unfortunately I am not a garment knitter, only blankets and shawls, anything without gauge. Sigh. I am doomed to order another type of yarn.